Summer to-do list

Summer is right around the corner and I am e-x-c-i-t-e-d! Spring break has only made me more excited for the time that I will finally be able to bask in the sunshine.

Here are some of the things that I am planning to do:

• Roller Skating at the Fun Park
• Summerfest! 
• Float the canal
• Do lots of sewing on my sewing machine
• Go hiking
• Read books outside on our porch during a rainstorm.
• Not write lesson plans
• Try to make Red Ladder Design a full time business
• Go to lots of fun weddings to celebrate my darling friends getting married.
• Eat lots of otter pops
• Go skiing with the fam!
• Go swimming (Aquatic Center, HPER 2nd Dam... any one are fine with me!)
• Camping up Logan Canyon
• Tour the Bluebird Candy Factory
• Go on a Historic Tour of Logan
• Bike Rides
• To to let David do homework instead of convincing him to come play with me (He is taking a full load of classes this summer... yuck.) 
• Go to the Manti Pageant. (I don't know if this one will actually happen.. I convinced David to take me last year, and there is a good chance that we won't be able to make it this year. However, I will be there in spirit!) 
• Go on a fun vacation
• Buy a new iMac computer! (Hooray!)
• Learn how to use CS5  (Double Hooray! Photoshop CS5 - I love you. SO much.) 

 Have I missed anything? Last summer was my first summer in Logan and I LOVED it. However, I am excited to be able to enjoy the whole "In Logan" part this summer without having to worry about getting married and all of it's associated stresses. What do you like to do during the summer? I need good ideas!

Lets Celebrate!

Happy April Fools Day!

Happy Easter!

Happy General Conference!

Happy Spring Break!

Happy Spinter!


Whew! We have done a lot of celebrating over the past week.

My April Fools Day consisted of waking up to a foot of snow (okay... at least 4 inches), then having no working traffic lights on the way to work, THEN teaching 2 year olds disguised as 8th and 9th graders. THEN having a student break a $50 sewing machine part, and FINALLY having a student catch on fire while making pasta.

(I wish I could tell you that this was a practical joke. It wasn't.)

General Conference went much more smoothly than April 1st. I had to work in Logan all day on Saturday, but managed to find someone to cover the last hour of my shift so we could make it to West Jordan in time to for David to go to the Priesthood Session of General Conference with his Dad and brothers. We weren't planning on trying to leave Logan this weekend, but when we heard that Matt and Julie (Davids brother and sister in law who live Nevada) were going to be there we decided that we wanted to be there to see them! It was the first time in over two years that the entire Peaden family had been together!

We woke up Easter Morning to our nephews (who we ADORE) running around the house. These boys are incredibly sweet and loads of fun. Their parents, Wendy and Sam, are such great examples of what parenting should be. I only hope that when David and I have kids that we will be as good of parents as they are. We went upstairs and watched as the nephews (and niece) found their Easter baskets. The rest of the day was filled with lots of candy, really good food, and a generous portion of spirituality.

I love General Conference and am so grateful to be able to listen to the words of the prophets. If you want to learn more about General Conference and the Church of Jesus Christ or listen to what was taught, click HERE or HERE.

We came back to Logan Sunday night because David and I both had to work on Monday. It is my SPRING BREAK right now, but because David is still in school I am just picking up a lot of shifts in the computer labs. Don't think that is stopping me from celebrating my spring break freedom! We have slept in, eaten lots of popcorn and otter pops, watched "The Princess and the Frog", and eaten some very good food. Also, I have read an entire book and treated myself to a very long, very warm bubble bath. Life doesn't get much better.  



For the last celebration of this post... I must give you some background information. I was checking my facebook the other day (naturally). My friend Abby was expressing her dislike of the extended winter season we are experiencing here in Utah (she is from Virginia.) A comment on her status seriously made me laugh out loud. Here it is, complements of Joshua Nielsen: 

"There are only 2 seasons in Utah, there is Winter and Summer. Winter is divided into sub seasons of Fall/Winter, Winter/Winter and Spring/Winter. Right now we are in Spring/Winter or Spinter. It gives you the illusion of spring but in fact is still winter, then it jumps right into summer. On occasion we do have a Summer/Winter as it has snowed in June before."

This is the epitome of how I view the seasons of Logan. This comment made my day! Because there is nothing else we can do, we are celebrating Spinter and looking forward to Summer!

We hope that you have many things to celebrate and that you take the time to enjoy them! What are some of the things that you are celebrating this month?

Happy Spinter!

Bridal Faire Extravaganza

It is amazing how far life can progress in just one year. March 6, 2009 was the day that David proposed to me and we began our journey down the road called "Engagement" before we could get to our destination "Marriage." (Or for some.. destination "Golden Rung.") We loved being engaged, and one of our favorite parts was going to Bridal Faires. David and I went to several Bridal Faires and we LOVED them. We loved having people try to sell us on things, looking at all of the options for weddings out there, and of course eating all of the free food! Who knew that just a very short year later we would be on the other side of the Bridal Faire fence?

Last Saturday we were able to attend the Bridal Faire at Riverwoods as a vendor! We had so much fun and it was really successful. A shout out to my dearest sister, Jenna, and my amazing father, Scott. This wouldn't have been possible without the both of you!

Here are some pictures of our booth!

 The full shot of the booth. 

The fliers we handed out.

Samples for potential clients to take.

Closer Up. 

The mantle of the fireplace we just so happened to get stuck in front of! It ended up working out really well, even though I was really nervous at first. 

Our BEAUTIFUL red ladder. My dad and brother, Jacob, spend hours helping David and I make this vision of mine turn into a reality. Dad, Jacob, David... YOU ARE AMAZING! 

We ended up talking to about 250 engaged couples. It was awesome and I loved it SO much. David was incredible and we had so much fun working side by side! The whole thing was a success! Now I am pretty much swamped with phone calls and e-mails from brides who need their wedding invitations done ASAP! I love it and I am SO excited to be able to actually be DOING this!